Only pedestrians will be allowed on Peacock Lane on Sunday's car-free night.

For the first time in its bright and storied history, Peacock Lane's holiday light show will be car-free for one night Sunday. But in a lump-of-coal twist for Portland's celebrated pedaling community, there probably won't be room for bicycles either.

Residents of the Southeast Portland lane, which has drawn wide-eyed holiday crowds since it began decorating and lighting up its stately Tudors in the 1920s, has asked that bicyclists to park their rides at the end of the street and walk on Sunday's car-free night.

"I think we're going to have too many pedestrians on the street to allow bikes," said Becky Patterson, president of the Peacock Lane neighborhood volunteers. "You can probably walk your bike, but we're asking that you park it if you can."

It's not that the residents of Peacock Lane are Grinchy about bikes. Indeed, Patterson said she and other volunteers have encouraged cyclists to come and have worked extra hours to make sure there are enough parking spots for them.

Everyone is welcome, whether they arive by bike, car, bus or skateboard, but neighbors want it to be a pedestrian-only gathering on the narrow street.

Still, some cyclists had hoped to deck their handlebars with boughs of holly, bike bells, and battery-powered lights to ride through the light show without interference from cars.

Portland company Pedal Bike Tours still plans a special tour of some of the city's most amazing neighborhood holiday light displays, including Peacock Lane.

The family-friendly event is scheduled to start Sunday at 5 p.m. at Pioneer Courthouse Square's lighted 75-foot fir tree. "We'll create our own light show as we ride down to the waterfront, over the river and through the neighborhoods of the eastside on our way to Peacock Lane," said Pedal Bike Tours owner Todd Roll.

Once there, the cyclists will park and walk, he said. "That's the best way to experience it," Roll Said. "We don't want to have to worry about running into people."

Hot cider, hot chocolate and Christmas cookies will also be waiting for bikers on Peacock Lane, he said.

The annual Peacock Lane light show is widely considered one of Portland's quintessential experiences. It opens officially on Monday night, running until midnight New Year's Eve. But this year, neighbors decided to offer a sneak peak to people without cars creeping along in the street.

A car-free night has been "requested again and again and again," Patterson said. "People want to get away from the smell and the noise of the cars."

Patterson said about 100,000 people visited the holiday houses last year, with as many as 10,000 showing up on one night, and neighbors are expecting a huge crowd that will fill the lane Sunday night.

Peacock Lane residents initially thought they could accommodate bikes. But then they took a hard look at logistics and safety issues, Patterson said. "We're asking everyone to enjoy the lights on foot," she said. "It's the best way anyway."

She said he neighborhood group worked with BikeRacker and other bike advocates to supply parking for hundreds of cyclists. Many cyclists on local biking e-mail forums have supported the park-and-walk plan.

Of course, according to the weather forecast, snow is on the way. While that's great for revving up the holiday spirit and all, pedaling though the snow can be perilous.

Roll heard the forecast for his bike tour, but he pointed out that when it comes to predicting snow in Portland, forecasters often strike out. "That far out, the weather man doesn't know," he said. "We'll go on as planned until the weather proves us otherwise. If it's really going crazy out there, we'll probably call it off."

At the same time, is there anything more festive than walking through a car-free winter wonderland?